---
title: The Biggest Flex Today Is Unedited Production
date: 2025-10-12T00:00:00
author: Charlie M.
category: SIGNAL
---
So, I was sitting on the couch, you know, one of those lazy Sunday mornings where the sunlight is like peeking through the blinds just right, and I was mindlessly scrolling Instagram. Again. It's like a vortex that pulls you in before you even realize it. And there I was, consuming all these perfect images, these—what do they call them?—"curated moments." And then it hit me, or maybe it was more of a whisper in the back of my mind: what if the biggest flex now is, like, the complete opposite? You know, like, unedited, raw... whatever.
I don’t know, it’s weird ‘cause I think it was just last week, I found an article about how, like, around 85% of people or something (give or take, numbers are kinda blurry in my head) use photo editing apps before posting on social media. Which, duh, right? We've all done it. But it got me thinking—and not in that philosophical way, more like a brain itch—about how maybe, just maybe, we've swung the pendulum so far that the real power move now is just... not editing at all. But is it though? Or is that just another form of curation? I don't know.
Flashback to my own profile, the half-hearted attempts at authenticity, like when I tried to post without filters for a week. It felt like I was stripped bare, naked almost. Vulnerable in a world that rewards polish. But, was anyone really paying attention? Did it make a difference, or was it just another fleeting experiment in my endless quest for... what, exactly? Validation? Who knows.
I remember reading about this study—or maybe it was a blog post; honestly can't remember—about how people actually feel more connected to imperfections. There was something about how our brains are wired to recognize authenticity. But then again, our brains are also wired to like shiny things, or maybe that's just a magpie. Hard to say. Anyway, it was something about how seeing unedited production taps into that realness, that shared human experience. Yet here I am, doubting every unfiltered photo I take. What does that say about me?
I tried it in my workouts too. Like, ditching those perfectly planned routines for something more, I don’t know, intuitive, I guess? Felt kinda liberating, but also like I was fumbling around in the dark. Made me question if those highly regimented routines were ever really necessary or just another layer of control. Is there something to this unedited approach, or am I just looking for justification to be lazy? The line blurs sometimes.
I can't help but wonder if unedited is just another trend, like keto or whatever the latest diet is that everyone swears by until they don’t. Maybe it’s all cyclical, and in a few years, we'll swing back to hyper-curation, romanticizing the polished and perfect all over again. Or maybe not. Who's to say?
Yeah, so like... is unedited production the new flex? Or are we just grasping at the next big thing, the next way to stand out in an oversaturated world? I don’t have the answer, and I’m not sure I need one. Just some thoughts from a sunlit couch on a Sunday morning. Maybe I'll delete Instagram again. Or maybe I won't. Who knows.